ALLEN, Charlotte Vale. Painted Lives : A novel. Toronto: Random House, 1990. First Printing. Pp. (8),[1]-307,(5). 8vo, blue paper covered boards, giltlettered purple cloth spine. The Toronto-born author's twenty-sixth novel. "At its center is Mattie Sylvester. Fiery, headstrong, and outrageous, Mat tie is the elderly widow of one of America's foremost artists, Gideon Sylvester. Living now in a rabling house on an island off the Atlantic coast, Mattie spends hours each day gazing out to sea, recalling a turbulent past whose memory still makes her tremble with rage. Mattie's routine begins to change, however, with the arrival of the deceptively plain and restraited Sarah Kidd, whome Mattie has hired as a personal secretary. An unlikely bond forms between the two women as, night after night, Mattie takes Sarah into her confidence, narrating episodes from her unusual past -- her precocious childhood and early independence in New York, her circle of artist friends in the 1920s, her ruthlessly charming husband, their sons... and finally, Mattie reveals to Sarah the shocking truth about the famous Gideon Sylvester." - from the dust jacket. Very good in unclipped dust jacket. Signed and inscribed by the author on the half-title page. 25.00